


Masters of the Craft

by RandomNoodleDish



Series: Dream SMP One Shots and stuff :) [4]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Philosophy, Techno is a stan for Sun Tzu, honestly thats it lol, rivalstwt, the chat do be roasting Dream tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-19 12:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomNoodleDish/pseuds/RandomNoodleDish
Summary: The sky was darker than obsidian except when the electric bolts broke through. Techno waltzed forward, spamming his sword erratically. The mud squished under each step. Dream could barely spot the sword’s arc behind his drenched mask. It was too hazy to use bows as a defensive measure. There was no escape from the Blade without close combat. He tightened his grip around his ax as he swung downwards.Taking place before the Doomsday War, Dream and Techno are masters at their craft. Killing. However, when given the chance, maybe they can learn something from each other about their different philosophies of fighting.
Series: Dream SMP One Shots and stuff :) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2169417
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Masters of the Craft

A deadly ballet took place during one of the server’s worst thunderstorms. One, two, three, _slash_ , two, three, _shield_ , two, three. Even the lightning followed the fight’s rhythm. The sky was darker than obsidian except when the electric bolts broke through. Techno waltzed forward, spamming his sword erratically. The mud squished under each step. Dream could barely spot the sword’s arc behind his drenched mask. It was too hazy to use bows as a defensive measure. There was no escape from the Blade without close combat. He tightened his grip around his ax as he swung downwards. The blades sparked enchanted ultraviolet once they connected. The dark oaks crowded over them, watching the fight. Dream smelled the ozone spark, and they both jumped away before the lightning split in between them. He saw Techno fully in the second of light. He almost appeared to glow from the water reflecting off of the netherite. The piglin’s face was crazed with bloodlust. He raised his shield expecting another sword slash, but instead, Techno rammed into the wood recklessly with his body. Dream slipped in the mud from the sudden push and fell on his back. The mud clung to his clothes. He quickly tried to recover, but the tip of a sword tapped against his neck. Dream froze, kneeling in the rain. Thunder boomed, and the dance was over. He tried to control his breathing, but his Adam’s apple thumped against the enchanted blade.

“And that”—Techno drawled in his signature monotonous voice and pushed the sword lightly into his neck. A small cut appeared, and Dream felt the blood spilling— “is two out of three Dream.” The glowing sword vanished into the Blade’s inventory and he cracked a smile. Dream sighed at the dramatics. He took the hoofed hand and pulled against it, raising himself to Techno’s level.

“I would have had you, if the lightning blast hadn’t interrupted us,” He said defensively, “I literally had a sign trap twenty feet later. You would have died instantly.”

“Probably,” Technoblade agreed with a shrug. Techno managed to not get a speck of mud on his beloved crimson cloak.

“You ruined my hoodie by the way,” Dream mentioned offhandedly while walking off, surveying the damage around them. They had carved out their own stage from the storm. Footsteps dragged in a linear fashion until the land was scarred from the explosive intrusion of lightning. He slipped off his sopping wet fingerless gloves. It was going to take forever to clean them. He reached up to check his mask for any cracks. None. Good. He turned to Techno again, “How do you do it?”

“Heh?” Techno responded, seemingly pulled out of an imaginary conversation with someone else. His eyes focused in on Dream.

“You look like you’re barely controlling your body in a fight, and everything you do seems last second. It wasn’t strategic to ram into my shield, and you left yourself open to an attack. Obviously, you’re incredible at fighting. Somehow,” Dream critiqued. He knew Techno wouldn’t take offense to what appeared to be an insult. It was a simple observation from one master to another.

Techno leaned back into the rain and raised an eyebrow, “And you seem so premeditated, it’s a wonder you manage to improvise at all. I can tell when you improv because you”—he started jerking his arms around awkwardly, mimicking basic sword forms— “do that. It’s not natural for you.”

Dream scoffed, “Normally, I don’t need to because I’m better than everyone else. I control the stage, scene, and flow of the fight.” He didn’t think it was narcissistic to say that since they both knew it. Techno stared off in the distance and smirked—like someone next to him told a good joke— before turning back to the muddied, hooded man.

“That’s your flaw Dream,” He stated, “The control. Sometimes you just need to lean into your instincts. Lose yourself to the noise, the violence, the fight, and become the fight itself.”

“What is that even supposed to mean Technoblade? Become the fight itself? What is that, some Sun Tzu quote?” Dream complained.

“You know Dream, I’m having a hard time hearing what you’re saying over the storm.” Techno shouted back, “Sure would be nice not to have chat and the rain drown out your voice. Plus, this low visibility is ruining the video I could get out of this. Think of the click-through rate!”

Dream rolled his eyes and indulged the Blade’s request. He snapped, and the thunderstorm rolled away to a picturesque spring day. Birds sang in the dark oaks, and the grass covered the mud. It looked like the fight happened days ago. His muddied hoodie said otherwise.

“What that means is that you should turn that off sometimes,” Techno tapped his noggin, walking towards him. “And don’t insult Sun Tzu like that. He said in the _Art of War_ , ‘There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.’”

“Not all of us are drop-out English majors, Technoblade.”

Techno tutted, “What I’m sayin is that beyond the basic appearance of my strategies, styles, whatever, how can you possibly anticipate and account for everything I may do? That level of control is impossible.”

“Not for me.”

“Really? You’re that sure of yourself to think that you’re above learning a few things from Sensei Blade?” Techno jokingly scoffed. The air around the piglin-hybrid seemed to cackle in agreement. Dream mulled over it. While he always considered himself the better fighter, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a few things from his sometimes friend, enemy, and rival.

“Alright,” Dream agreed.

“What?”

“Teach me.”

“The sudden twist to humility is scaring me Dream. You alright in there? Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought.”

Dream rolled his eyes behind the mask before continuing, “I’m serious. Maybe I can try out a few of your techniques.”

“How do I know you won’t try and use my own techniques against me?”

“Maybe I will,” Dream shrugged. They both knew it.

He stared at him suspiciously and asked, “And what do I get in return?”

“I teach you some of my style, and”—Dream paused for dramatic effect— “I won’t post videos on this, so you get a monopoly on the viewership. Think of the clout.”

“You had me at clout.”

“That was the last thing I said,” Dream pointed out.

“I know,” Techno deadpanned.

**Author's Note:**

> It ain't gay if it's a fight in the rain /s
> 
> I've had this thought rumbling around for awhile which is: Bro, I just want to show the different fighting philosophies of Dream and Techno. Dream's all about control, and the Blade follows his instincts. Let's see how this plays out :)


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